diff --git a/ui_builder/static/app.js b/ui_builder/static/app.js
index 84a9ff0..ea7982b 100644
--- a/ui_builder/static/app.js
+++ b/ui_builder/static/app.js
@@ -5241,10 +5241,19 @@ function startCustomTooltips() {
   // countdown change. A pure coincidental 4x4 that did not originate from an
   // advantage still produces no plate.
   function penaltyDisplayEntriesByTargetSide(step) {
-    // A fully assigned penalty is already eligible for its plate. Its clock
-    // remains stopped until Start/Space; strength calculations stay separate.
-    const home = sortedPenaltyEntries("home", { includePrepared: true });
-    const away = sortedPenaltyEntries("away", { includePrepared: true });
+    // Prepared penalties may pre-fill the stopped plate, but as soon as at least
+    // one penalty has actually started they MUST NOT participate in strength
+    // routing. Otherwise an unstarted draft on the opposite bench can make a
+    // real 4x5 look like 4x4 locally and suppress the AWAY/HOME StartCountdown.
+    const activeHome = sortedPenaltyEntries("home");
+    const activeAway = sortedPenaltyEntries("away");
+    const hasStartedPenalties = Boolean(activeHome.length || activeAway.length);
+    const home = hasStartedPenalties
+      ? activeHome
+      : sortedPenaltyEntries("home", { includePrepared: true });
+    const away = hasStartedPenalties
+      ? activeAway
+      : sortedPenaltyEntries("away", { includePrepared: true });
     const all = [...home, ...away].sort((a, b) => {
       const runningOrder = Number(Boolean(b.event?.running)) - Number(Boolean(a.event?.running));
       if (runningOrder) return runningOrder;
@@ -13023,15 +13032,22 @@ function renderHockeyPenaltyDashboard(node, component, runtime) {
 
     state.vmixStrengthMappingRefreshPending = true;
     try {
-      const response = await fetch(`/api/hockey/agents/devices/${encodeURIComponent(deviceId)}/apply-mapping?only_changed=true`, {
-        method: "POST",
-        cache: "no-store",
-        credentials: "same-origin",
-      });
+      // Strength is a small dedicated Mapping namespace. A strength transition
+      // is infrequent, so force only this namespace instead of trusting the
+      // changed-value cache. This guarantees that linked numerical-advantage
+      // captions are pushed again after a penalty start/finish/reconnect while
+      // leaving every unrelated Mapping field untouched.
+      const response = await fetch(
+        `/api/hockey/agents/devices/${encodeURIComponent(deviceId)}/apply-mapping?source_code=strength`,
+        { method: "POST", cache: "no-store", credentials: "same-origin" }
+      );
       let payload = {};
       try { payload = await response.json(); } catch (_) {}
-      if (!response.ok) {
-        const detail = payload?.detail?.message || payload?.detail || `HTTP ${response.status}`;
+      if (!response.ok || payload?.ok === false) {
+        const detail = payload?.detail?.message
+          || payload?.detail
+          || payload?.errors?.[0]?.reason
+          || `HTTP ${response.status}`;
         throw new Error(typeof detail === "string" ? detail : JSON.stringify(detail));
       }
       return true;